Exploring Transitions Towards Sustainable Construction: The Case of Near-Zero Energy Buildings in the Netherlands
Authored by Cesar Garcia-Diaz, Jesus Rosales-Carreon
Date Published: 2015
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Abstract
This paper examines the use of qualitative information in the
construction of an agent-based model in order to study the growth of
near-Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB's) in the Netherlands through the
innovation systems perspective. Drawing on desktop research and
semi-structured interviews, this paper offers two major findings. First, we observed that the difficulties to the development of nZEB's have been
shaped by interaction and institutional barriers: the inner complexity
of the building sector has decisively impacted on the growth of nZEB's.
Second, exploring interviewees' understanding of the system via an
agent-based model has brought fresh insights about the problem. Overall, this is a call for an interdisciplinary approach to understand the
changes required for nZEB's in their path for a successful adoption.
Agent-based computational modelling, complemented with knowledge that
was elicited from several stakeholders within the building sector, has
helped to inspect the implication of common beliefs in the course of
shaping possible futures toward a transition to nZEB's.
Tags
Societal transitions
regional innovation systems
Science